Chapter Ten:
Where he rightfully belongs.
Those words echoed in the confines of her mind, crippling her and immobilizing her. Sarah's hands fisted in the tunic of Jareth's clothing and her eyes burned with the weight of her sorrow. Leaving the Aboveground would be the easy part, balancing all that she would have to give up against all that she would gain would be the hard part. "I don't understand." She finally slurred, sniffling slightly as she tried to imagine what she had to look like to the Goblin King, he was used to surrounding himself with beautiful Fae, not emotionally drained human girls. Still, his grasp upon her was light and comforting and he seemed to radiate a heat that soothed her very soul.
"The Labyrinth is complex, much more complex than you were able to comprehend on your last visit." Even his tone of voice was soothing.
Slowly she pulled back, trying to control the shaking that had taken over her small frame. "Make it simple then."
He breathed a heavy sigh, taking in her sullen form. Her eyes were red and rimmed from her tears, her cheeks rosy from the exertion. She took shallow, shaking breaths, but even in her sorrow, she was beautiful. "It's not often that a Runner becomes a Child Thief." She huffed an agitated sigh to which he offered her a silencing look. She was obstinate, even in her confusion. "I assume you've heard the term already?"
"From Farnig and Sygel." Sarah huffed again, her brow furrowed in her distaste.
"In our world, you are viewed as such, Sarah. Not because you literally stole Toby, but because you are now tied together in a way he was meant to be tied to one from our world." It seemed so natural to him, but from her dazed look he knew she was still confused. "If you had failed, Toby's childhood would have been tied to someone of magical blood, a familiar bond would have been made. A new family would have adopted Toby and your human family would have forgotten him completely. To the Aboveground, it would have been as if Toby never existed."
"How cruel…" She whispered, taking a moment to imagine a world without Toby, a world where she had never had a little brother at all. Her stepmothers cruelty only intensified, her father never home from work, her own life amounting to very little in comparison. The little blonde haired boy was the most important part of her short life.
Jareth frowned. "It's the only way to keep the Underground hidden from the people of your world. Most parents deserving of their children would never wish their child away in the first place and those that do are brave enough to defeat the Labyrinth. We do not separate happy families, Sarah. That has never been the point of the Underground."
Her eyes fell downcast, a sheepish look crossing her pale features. She knew she had a tendency to judge the Underground too harshly, but all she had really known was the harshness of the Goblin King as she sought to protect her brother. Until just a few hours ago she hadn't ever considered a softer side to the magic it held. "Why does that change things for him now?"
"When you completed the Labyrinth and stole back your baby brother, his life was tied to yours. Much in the same way that someone of magical blood would have been charged with his wellbeing, he was put in your care upon your leave. In the Magical world, you are his mother. Surely you felt the magic that bonded you closer together since your escape?" Jareth asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.
Her eyes widened, understanding flooding through her. Since their return to the Aboveground and over the last two years, she had felt more like a mother to the blonde headed boy than she had a sister. She was protective of him, nurturing, and loving. She did things that older sisters would not, cared for him in ways that older sisters would not, and she had since felt her own parents were unworthy of claiming to be his mother and father. Had magic really altered the way she bonded with Toby? "I'm still not following."
"While the type of magic that affects Wished Away's and their Child Thieves is different from the type of magic that was poisoning you, it is still a strong magic. It is the Underground's way of making sure the child will be cared for. It is impossible to separate the two except for in death. Toby is tied to you and thus his fate shall be the same as yours. The magic of the Underground would keep you together by erasing all memory of him from the Aboveground. He will be in your care, just as you will be placed in the care of another magical creature once you have chosen your magic."
"He'll come with me?" She repeated dumbfounded. I don't have to say goodbye. She would be able to watch him grow, to see all of his major accomplishments, to raise him in a world of magic. Her heart felt lightened.
"Yes." Jareth smiled lightly. "The boy is tied to you for all eternity."
She hadn't made a conscious decision to move, and before she could register it, Sarah had thrown herself into his arms. Her face buried against his broad chest, holding close to him as her tears changed from those of sorrow to those of a deep seated relief. She had come to terms with the fact that her stepmother would fail the Labyrinth, she understood the reasoning behind her existence being erased from the Aboveground, but losing Toby was beyond what she was willing to accept. Now, she wouldn't have to. "Thank you." She breathed, inhaling his earthly scent. "Thank you."
His eyes were wide, her scent wafting through him. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her, gently holding her to his chest. Humans are such strange and affectionate creatures… But hadn't this been the affection he had desired from her all along? The comforting love that she had shown her friends and her brother over the last few years had intrigued him. It was her overbearing love for those close to her that had made him start to love her as well.
They seemed to sit there in the silence, wrapped up in the emotion of the moment, for what seemed like forever. Finally, the doors to her chambers were pushed open and Farnig appeared. He frowned down at the two in disapproval for a moment before turning his features to a look of disinterest. "The spell you've requested is ready, my lord." He spoke, bowing respectfully as the Goblin King rose to his full height, pulling Sarah gently to her feet beside him.
The girl hurriedly brushed the tears from her eyes, taking a shuddering breath as she tried to calm herself. "Spell?" She repeated, taking a respectful half step back from the Goblin King, taking note to how his warmth seemed to leave her as soon as she stepped away. It left her feeling empty.
"You are going to mirror my mother." Jareth explained, casually waving his hand in her direction as if dismissing her.
"Mirror?" Sarah asked, blinking back her confusion. She felt more like a broken record.
"Yes. His Majesty has decided it would be best for you to follow the Queen Mother for a bit. To see what you would be agreeing to if you became a Fae." Farnig explained, his eyes burning into Jareth with unspoken disappointment. Clearly his warning to go slow with the human girl had been ignored.
"Would the Queen Mother be my familiar bond if I chose Fae?" Sarah asked, her gaze shifting between the two men.
Jareth stiffened, his back going rigid. "That has yet to be decided."
A sly smirk crossed over Farnig's lips. "I would be very surprised if the Queen Mother took on a new charge. It would make you royalty, you know. The sister to the Goblin King." Jareth shot his companion a glare. "A princess of sorts."
"A princess!" She grinned, a bright smile crossing over her lips at the thought. "What does a princess get to do in the Underground?"
Before her sentence was even finished, the three were standing once again in the brilliantly white room that housed the Queen Mother, her swiftest teleportation yet. Her outfit had been changed, to a dark green dress that contrasted beautifully with her alabaster skin. The very sight of her took Sarah's breath away.
"A princess has many duties, mostly to her kingdom. However, I have special plans for you, sweet dove." The Queen Mother smiled lightly, seeming to glide forward until she stopped at Sarah's side.
"Special plans?" Sarah asked, smiling brightly. "I assume only if I choose to be a Fae?"
"As if there's any other choice." The Queen Mother laughed, waving Sarah off in a similar fashion to how Jareth had just moments before. "The magic of Fae is extensive and immeasurable, far beyond anything you will find by choosing to remain with another faction. Someone as filled with wonder as you would fit beautifully with our people. Our magic would only serve to enhance your natural beauty."
"What are your plans?" She asked again, blushing deeply at the Queen Mother's compliment.
"Have you ever read a fairytale, my sweet dove?" The Queen Mother asked, waving away the boys who both bowed respectfully and disappeared. Even Jareth seemed to show a reverence for his mother that Sarah had not noticed before.
"I have. Princes and princesses, fairies and goblins, magical far away places." She was practically glowing with her excitement. "I've been making up fairytales for Toby since we escaped the Labyrinth two years ago."
"Hnn." The Queen Mother cooed, motioning for Sarah to follow her.
The two women walked in silence, Sarah nervously fidgeting with her awkward and gawky clothing as she followed behind the beautiful and graceful Fae. They walked down corridor after corridor, disappearing into the expansive castle. Sarah could tell from the taste of the air that they had left the castle that belonged to Jareth and that they were far from the Labyrinth. Each place in the Underground had a different taste to the air, a different twinge of magic. This place was full of an innocent light, and a sense of peace.
"Where are we going your majesty?" Sarah asked after what seemed like hours of walking through the polished halls.
"Patience, sweet dove." The Queen Mother smiled, pushing open the door to a small chamber. This room was different from all the others. It lacked the bright white light that flooded the rest of the castle and looked more rustic than the rest. Inside was a mirror, huge and dusty, hanging before a single bench and a writing desk. On the desk was a book, filled with dingy looking pages, quite possibly the biggest book she had ever seen in her life and a quill with no ink.
"This is the book of ages." The Queen Mother explained, gently pushing Sarah forward until they stopped just before the book. "The most worthy job in all of the Underground. It is here that all fairytales are made, here that the connection between magic and humanity begins."
"This book has every fairytale ever written, doesn't it?" Sarah asked, beginning to understand. Part of her desired to reach out and touch the old pages, to turn through them and read every word, but she held herself back. She hung on every word the Queen Mother spoke.
"Yes. Once we had an author, a Fae who spent countless days recounting the tales of our people, recounting the tales of the humans they watched. Thousands of years ago, our worlds existed in harmony. Long before the schism, there existed the All-World. Together we thrived, each flourishing in the power of the other, for humans cannot exist without magic and magic cannot exist without the humans. But power is a vice and soon the humans began to covet our magic. The rage and the jealousy took root and it was Jareth's grandfather, Ariel the Tempest, who cast the spell to separate us." The Queen Mother explained, reaching out with a gentle hand to touch the tattered pages of the book.
"He split the world in two, the Aboveground and the Underground, issuing the magic that made all mortals forget the world of magic. But do not forget, magic cannot exist without humans and humans cannot exist without magic. Our power began to drain and the humans began to die, our very existence hung in the balance. If the humans did not believe, our magic would die." She turned, offering a reassuring smile to the human girl.
"So you created the fairytales…" Sarah whispered, understanding washing through her. "A link between worlds."
"Yes," The Queen Mother practically cooed. "It was Oriel who created the gateway, a portal between worlds. It allowed the author to glance between all planes of existence and to connect us to each other. It was a way to save us all." She motioned for Sarah to come closer, taking her hand and running it along the length of the rounded mirror. Within the glass, a haze began to swirl, spinning through image after image too quickly for Sarah to register them. Finally it stopped, showing the image of a child alone on a bench. She stared out into the darkness as fireflies began to dance around her. One or two at first, before hundreds of the little bugs danced in the air around her, like magic.
"I do believe in fairies…" Sarah whispered, a memory from a distant time.
"Every fairytale you've ever read, every story you've ever told, has come from this book." Again the Queen Mother gestured to the old and tattered pages. "A memory link between the author and the writer. Have you ever heard of a muse?"
Through dangers untold and hardships outnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, my kingdom as great. You have no power over me.
Had the author been the one to write her own story? Had she read her own life before she had even lived it?
"Human inspiration comes from here?" Sarah asked, her heart fluttering deep inside her chest.
"Yes." The Queen Mother smiled. "Anything written down within its pages is gifted to a writer in the human world and magic is protected by those who read the work. Without an author, both worlds will fall to ruin."
"Who is the author now?" Sarah asked, glancing around the room for any sign of life. She pictured a beautiful woman, draped over the edge of the writing desk and scribbling away all of the stories of the world. She imagined a brave heroine, saving two worlds with just the stories in her heart.
The Queen Mother frowned, a sorrow sweeping over her features. "There is no current author. Even a Fae's life is not without limit. If a new author is not appointed soon, magic in both worlds will begin to decrease. Our way of life will crumble and the first to go will be the immortality that protects Jareth and his people."
"He'll die?" Sarah questioned, her heart constricting violently in her chest.
The Queen Mother's frown seemed to deepen. "Yes, my darling. If magic began to falter, Jareth would perish. He would give his life long before he watched his people suffer and immortality uses the most magic of all. But you can save him, if only you are brave enough."
"Me?" Sarah asked, wide innocent eyes sweeping across the most recent writings in the tattered book.
"This is the plan I have for you, sweet dove. Should you choose the magic of Fae, I would like you to be the next author."
And in the distance, muted by her shock, the bell tolled four more times.
Author's Note: I apologize it took so long to get this chapter out. With finals and the holiday's I've been a pretty busy bee. I want to say my chapters will come more quickly from this point out, but we'll have to see. I hope you're enjoying the story still. Let me know what you think about Sarah as an Author!
All my love;
Kaasuten